Beastie Boys Share 34-year-old "She's Crafty" Music Video from 1987 Licensed to Ill VHS (Def Jam Recordings)
After 34 years largely unreleased, the Beastie Boys quietly dropped the music video for one of their most raucous offerings Wednesday night. "She's Crafty" originally appeared on The Beasties' 1986 Def Jam debut, Licensed to Ill. It appeared as the B-side to both "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn" and "Girls" on their respective 12-inch singles. "She's Crafty" appeared alongside "Rhymin' & Stealin,'" "Fight for Your Right (to Party,)" "Hold It Now, Hit It," "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn," and "She's On It" as part of a self-titled 1987 Beasties Boys home video release best known amongst collectotrs as the Licensed to Ill VHS. CBS Fox Video Music/Def Jam Recordings, also, released the six-song VHS tape on then-extremely popular formats Laserdisc and Betamax in both The US & Japan. "She's Crafty"'s newly-unveiled music video was filmed on April 1, 1987 at a Licensed to Ill Tour stop at The Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey with Hardcore Punks Murphy's Law and tour newbies Public Enemy.
Beastiemania explains, "Footage filmed during this performance appears on the Licensed to Ill home video. Following "The New Style," Adam Yauch told the audience that there was a film crew present to record "She's Crafty" and "Rhymin' & Stealin.'" To ensure that there was enough usable footage to edit down for the home video, both songs were performed again at the very end of the concert." It's definitely a debauchery-filled music video that you have to just see for yourself; far detached from the future well-rounded men Ad-Rock, Mike D & MCA grew into, The Beasties often distanced themselves from their Licensed to Ill-era Frat Rock/Rap selves. However, with that said, it's still a great cinematic memory of Beasties past. Nothing new here for seasoned Beastie Boys die-hards, but we would strongly recommend newfound Beasties fans check out their new/old "She's Crafty" music video. "She's Crafty" appears on the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill, which is available on streaming platforms, and well-worth your time.